With only a few days left before the Upper House election, the focus remains on whether the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner New Komeito, which already control the more powerful Lower House, can finally put an end to the divided Diet by winning a majority in the Upper House. Much less attention is paid on the actual policy debates, and almost no discussion has been made on strategies concerning the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks, which is one of the top priority policies. Farmers have virtually no clue who they should trust and to whom they should cast their votes. Candidates should discuss in their own words their … Continue reading →

  A group of anti-TPP professors came up with their own estimates on the economic impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks. They estimated how tariff eliminations under the TPP pact will affect agricultural production and income in each prefecture. They also analyzed in detail the possible effects on rice farmers and related industries. Their estimates revealed that major agricultural producing prefectures will suffer severe damage, and that even large-scale rice farmers will be in the red. With the Upper House election coming up, the issues concerning the TPP talks should be discussed more from the viewpoint of farming business and local economies. The economic effects of the TPP pact … Continue reading →